The Savannah Project

Jake Pendleton Series, Book 1

By: Chuck Barrett

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

The truth can be a dangerous thing.

Terrorism, duty, and personal safety collide when Jake Pendleton, an investigator for the NTSB, is called to investigate an aircraft accident in Savannah, Georgia during the St. Patrick's Day celebration. The accident, which at first appears to be quite run-of-the-mill, turns out to be anything but. Since Jake is not willing to pretend there are no suspicious circumstances and more than the usual share of rather unlikely "coincidences," he sets off a veritable avalanche of secrets, violence and treachery. Aided by an unlikely partner, Gregg Kaplan, the air traffic controller who was the last person in contact with the airplane that crashed, Jake sets out to untangle the webs of deceit and to find a vicious killer. Nothing is as it seems, nobody is who you thought them to be. Nothing is sacred. Nobody is safe.

©2010 Chuck Barrett (P)2013 Audible Inc.

Seemed to move slower that needed

I found the story a good but drawn out to much for it to really grab the listener. I will try another book by this author to see if this is his regular writing method if so that will be the last book by this author I will get! Will try the toymaker next.

New series for me...interesting..but...

OK this one checks all the boxes ( Scott Brick performance, Chuck Barrett written. Crackling plot line. Big Characters )

So why not a bigger review. It seems contrived and somewhat derivative. Maybe I am getting jaded, but everything seems just abit too easy in terms of plot dev, character choices, etc. Even the usually amazing Mr. Brick seems to mail it in at times. It is certainly a solid offering, but as a series debut, it lacks something special. Recommended, with reservations.

long intro worth the wait for the showdown

i was drawn to this series by the intro to book 3 and decided to start book 1.

while this is certainty not the highest body count in a spy thriller it certainty does not lack in gory detail. it's a plausible premise that is comparable as any from a clancy novel.
I guess the longwinded build-up in Savanah is required for the drama in Ireland, but there is a bit too much luck for both antagonist and protagonist involved. it almost makes one sceptical and think that barret started planning the multi novel series from st patrics day in Savanah.
I'll follow the rest of the series 1 more book.

as always, Scott Brick is gold and his measured dictation and accents versatility carry a mediocre novel to way higher levels than would be the case if I was reading the hard-copy

Jake Pendleton ROCKS

Gripping from the beginning. Can't wait for the next book. Well defined characters and plot.

Excellent book

Excellent book can't wait to start toymaker jake and Kaplan are good team characters play well off each other.

Great Catalog Plus

Who gets to get Scott Brick on a loan??? Good series, but this author would not be one that I would own. It is a fast adventure, clever, but I would not want to own it for a re listen. Can not put my finger on why. Good characters but????

Strong Ending

It started out really slow. Weak and somewhat confusing characters. But ended with lots of action.

Hard to put it into words...

It's nowhere near the worst mystery to which I've listened. The plot line gets unnecessarily convoluted. It's much like "Mad Magazine's" Spy vs. Spy. Scott Brick made the listen tolerable.

Fantastic foolishness

I struggled to finish this book - the narrator helped significantly to get me over the edge. I remember him from some Nelson Demille books that I’ve listened in the past. He is really good at narrating and at communicating emotions.

The story was fantastic and foolish - real fantastic foolishness. You are asked to stretched your credulity - not because the action defies the laws of science, but because the story takes some off turns and at any minute, I was expecting any minor character to reveal him/herself as the real life Elvis Presley. Such were the flips and twists in the novel.

The write also made some sequencing and story telling decisions that were unusual. For example, there is climactic scene that defies story telling logic. The scene occurred 3 hours or so before the novel actually ended, but which in my mind should have been the end of the novel. In the scene, one hero of the novel watched helplessly while another hero of the novel is stalked, attacked, injured and, ultimately, captured. It is not sure why heir A is unable to help hero B and frankly, there is no apparent reason why hero A is even needed or the scene to work. The plot is not advanced by hero A’s involvement, the excitement factor is not increased as all he does is ruminate endlessly and the dialogue is painfully flat. Yet, at least 1 hour is dedicated to this ultimately anticlimactic scene.

Anyways, if you want to participate in some escapism and if you enjoy Scott Brick’s narration, then try this. Otherwise, this is a pass.

Excellent suspenseful

Twists that you cannot see coming! It's a great listen. Not what you expect on a good way.